Maybe it's because people became increasingly uncomfortable with marine mammals in captivity. Maybe it's because they are low maintenance. For whatever reason, it seems jellyfish exhibits at aquaria are on the rise. Monterey Bay's Jellies: Living Art pays homage to the medusas. Vancouver Aquarium's jellyfish exhibit has also recently expanded (and now includes the flower hat jelly; photo by Lee Newman).
An Amazon query of 'jellyfish' children's books yields 1410 search results. Granted, a 'shark' search yields 5663 results, but 'swordfish' a meager 321. My name seems to be (disturbingly) suited to at least two of these children's titles: Captain Jennifer Jellyfish Jones and Jenny Jellyfish: A Tale of Wiggly Jellies.
True, these translucent creatures capture everyone's imagination. But are children learning more about jellyfish than other marine creatures? If so, will generations raised on moon jellies not lead to apathy over empty oceans, jellyfish burgers, and their oh-so-shifted baseline?
Comments
My daughters became interested in jellyfish from the Spongebob Squarepants cartoons. Spongebob and Patrick like to go "jellyfishing" - catch-and-release hunting of jellyfish using hand nets. My girls loved the jellyfish display at the Vancouver Aquarium as a result. I wonder if it's the case with other kids?
Posted by: T. Bruce McNeely | June 27, 2007 7:04 AM
Great addition, Bruce. In your daughters' honor, I add a scene from that Spongebog Squarepants episode to the post...
Posted by: Jennifer Jacquet | June 27, 2007 7:55 AM
Jellies are hugely popular at Monterey Bay Aquarium (where I work). In addition to appealing to the aesthtic interest of visitors, we also deliver a strong dose of conservation messaging -- at Jellies: Living Art, and in a three-times-a-daily auditorium program about jellies.
Our Seafood Watch program (which encourages purchase of seafood from sustainable sources; www.seafoodwatch.org) doesn't talk overtly about the rise of jellies, but it definitely promotes behavior that would avert it.
Separate note: I created a Squidoo lens about jellies, including the ecological disaster that the "age of slime" represents. Check it out at http://www.squidoo.com/jellyfish.
Posted by: Ken Peterson | June 27, 2007 12:51 PM
Ken, your Squidoo lens on jellies is an awesome resource. Given that you have such an insider's perspective, are jellyfish are on the rise at aquaria? If so, is it because they don't require much care? They are easy to catch? They are all there is left to catch? Or simply that they appeal to the visitors? Pehaps it's all of the above. Can you tell us whether your combined tank space for jellies at Monterey Bay rivals that of the large pelagics tank (where that wonderfully dopey Mola mola flaps its way around)?
Posted by: Jennifer Jacquet | June 27, 2007 1:12 PM